Missing grandmother, 87, found alive after spending freezing night in bushland, surviving on raisin packet

An 87-year-old grandmother has been rescued after surviving a night lost in dense bushland amid freezing conditions. Concerns were raised when the elderly woman didn’t return from a planned walk near Donnelly River Village, three hours south of Perth, on April 10. Her family reported her disappearance to police about 8pm, sparking a major search operation. The woman took a wrong turn leading her to spend the night alone in dense bushland where temperatures dropped as low as six degrees. Officers discovered the woman about 1pm Saturday around 2km east of Donnelly River Village, tired and dehydrated, surviving the proceeding night with just a packet of raisins. She had not sustained any injuries and was later reunited with her family. The elderly woman’s daughter Jo told 9News she did not know if she would ever see her mother again. “Mum, who’s unstoppable, has just gotten new hips (and) decided she really wanted to do a walk,” Jo said. “I thought I wasn’t going to see my mum again – I really didn’t think she was coming back.” After the woman’s rescue, police issued a statement urging the public to plan ahead before setting out in bushland. “While exploring Western Australia’s bush and regional areas can be rewarding, the terrain is vast and unforgiving if something goes wrong,” police said. “Police are increasingly seeing people enter remote or semi-remote areas for activities such as bushwalking, four-wheel driving and prospecting without adequate planning or equipment. “These situations can result in large-scale search and rescue operations, placing lives and emergency service resources at risk. “Simple preparation can make a significant difference.”